Gas-producer



(No Model.) '6 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. W. OULMER. GAS 230911053.

No. 441,941. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

6 mp. m L Uw GR P 3 WA nn u -No. 441,941. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

I-zw/ieni'ar (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 3.

' J. W. CULMER.

I GAS PRODUCER. 110,441,941. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.,

- (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

J. W. GULMER. GAS PRODUCER.

No. 441,941. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

(No Model.) BSheets-Sheet 6. J. W. GULMER. GAS PRODUCER. No. 441,941. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

UNITED .STATES' PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \VOO-DRUFF OULMER, OF NFJV BRIGHTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-PRODUCER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,941, dated December 2, 1890. Application filed June 12, 1890. Serial No. 355123. (No model.)

To all w/wm it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN WooDRuFF CUL- MER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Brighton, in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gas-Producers, of which the followingis a specification.

The invention herein relates to fuel-gas producers, and the particular improvements which I have made therein will be separately pointed out in the claims concluding this specification.

In the construction of my improved furnace provision is madefor utilizing the heat of the furnace for heating air in passages independent of the passages for the gaseous products, and for superheating steam for introduction into the fuel-bed for the production of wator-gas, and for uniting the products of combustion with the heated air at the point of consumption.

, The accompanying drawings illustrate my improved gas-producer for effecting these objects, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the producer. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken on the line B B of Figs. 1 and 5. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line G G of Fig. 5'. Fig. 4 is a similar section taken on the line C G of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line E E of Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 is a similar section taken on the line D D of Figs. 1 and 2.

The furnace is constructed with two separate and independent fuel-containing chambers F and G, provided with grates 25 and having their aslrpits 3 opening at the front into an inclosed space 4, which is covered with a stand-plate 5, and into which space air is admitted by means of a pipe 7, Fig. 2, for supporting combustion in the f uel-ehambers. The chambers are built of refractory blocks, and are drawn in toward the top to allow the fuelbed to continuously fall or descend to avoid bridging or choking by the expansion of the fuel,and the shape presented by a horizontal section of the chamber is that of a parallelogram with rounded corners, which is an easier way of construction and prevents clinkering and fouling to a great extent.

On each side of the fuel-containing chambers and on a level with a plane of the greatest combustion therein I construct fines 33 and 34, which are of a height about equal to said fuel-beds and form. a continuous space around the two sides and the inner end of said chambers, as seen in Figs. at and 6. These serve to superheat steam admitted into said flues, and from which the superheated steam passes through the passages to into the incandescent fuel-beds, so as to penetrate the latter from opposite sides.

Centrallybetween the f uel-co ntainin g chambers and above the steam-superheating fines I construct an outlet-flue H, which extends from the front to the back wall of the furnace and communicates by openings 9 with the chambers at the inner walls thereof, so that the products of combustion from both chambers pass oif through the sanie flue and out through valve-controlled wells 30 and 37 at the'rear of the furnace, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5.

lVithin the side walls of the furnace and i above the steam-snperheatin fl ues I construct air-heating fines 35, which extend along the outer sides and around the rear ends of both fuel-containing chambers and communicate at the rear of the furnace with valve-eontrolled wells 31 and 38, as seen in Figs. 3 and 5. The valve controlled wells of these gas and air flues open into two parallel passages 1i and 15, which run along the rear wall for conveying the gaseousp rod nets and the heated air to the combustion-[urnace. The valves which control these wells are connected in pairs by weighted levers l6 and 17, so that when one is opened the other will be closed. At the front of the furnace the top side fines are provided with doors 28, by which to control the inlet of the air to be heated. It is important to have these gas and air fines provided with separate valve-controlled wells leading to the combustion-furnace, so that should the passage 14:, flowing gas to the combustion furnace become highly heated, or from other cause, the flow of the gas may be reversed to passage 15 and the flow of air to the passage 14, from the walls of which it takes up the heat and in this way the heat of the fur- IOC nace isutilized to heat the air. which is con-' veyed to the combustion-furnace to support the combustion therein.

Within the top gas-outlet fine 11, I place 5 side by side two steam-superheating pipes 21, each of which consists, essentially, of a large outer tube of iron inclosing a smaller steampipe 20. These two pipes are of a length equal to that of the line, and both extend outside the flue at the front of the furnace, at which point the large pipe is extended to and opens into the front end of the superheating-flue atb b at the outer side of the fuelcontaining chamber, as seen in Figs. 1 and 5, I 5 while the smaller steam-pipe of each su perheater connects with a steam-supply pipe 22 and is provided with a valve 23, which controls the steam from said supply-pipe to the superheaters. The inner end of the steam- 20 pipe 20 opens into the closed endof the large superheater-pipe, and the steam passing into the latter is superheated by the intensely-hot pipe and delivered into the intenselyhot fines 33, from which it passes through the 25 wall-passages a into the incandescent fuelbed.

Each f uel-containing chamber is fitted with a fuel-charger 10, which is provided With close covers 12, and automatically-closing charging- 0 valve 13 in the well-known way for sealing the charging-opening.

' I prefer to use therocking grate-bars shown,

which are supported by the bearing-Wall bars and are operated by a horizontal shaking- 3 5 bar26, suitably connected by rotating rods 27, fitted in the front stand-plate, as seen in Fig. 2.

Thehearth orbottomPof the ash-pitis sloped forward toward the covered space 4, and at 40 the top edge of this sloping surfaceIprovide a perforated pipe 3, through which water is caused to flow down upon the sloping ash-pit to carry off the ashes and cinders into the front space, from which it is removed as re- 5 quired.

Between the ash-pits an arched passage'or vault 2 is constructed for economy of material and to allow for expansion of the furnacewalls.

At the frontof the furnace caps 18 and 19 are fitted over openings in the fuel-containing chambers for observing and cleaning the interior of the chambers. The fires having been lighted in both chambers and the fuel supplied thereto up to a level with the openings 9 in the gas-outlet fine, the combustion is sustained by air supplied at the grates. The products of this combustion, principally carbonic oxide, pass from both chambers into the outlet-flue H and into the rear passage-say 14 whence they pass to the point of consumption. At the same time air entering through the open door 28 in Fig. 5 flows through the hot flues 35 to the other passage 15 and thence to the point of consumption, and there to be united with the gas. As the operation is continued the fuel lying in the plane of the incandescent beds/becomes exhausted of its hydrocarbons and, while highly incandescent, is giving off a high percentage of carbonic acid. Live steam is then turned on by means of one or both steamvalves 23, and, flowing through the highlyheated su perheating-pipesis delivered into the fines, wherein it expands, and passes thence through the openings to into the fuel-beds and adds its dissociated hydrogen to the volume of gases passing off. This operation is repeated from time to time in the two fuelchambers alternately, or in both at once, or a 8c small quantity of steam may be allowed to flow through the superheaters into the two fuel-beds continually and only a large volume be forced into the fuelbeds when there exists a large volume of incandescent cake in either or both chambers.

hen the fuel-containing chamber F is in operation, the valve 40 in the air-well 31,

leading to the passage 15, is open, and the valve 41 in the gas-well 30, leadingto the same 9 a passage, is closed. The valve 23 of the steamsupply pipe leading to the superheater 21 is closed, and the valve 23, which controls the other superheater, is open, admitting steam to the superheater. The door 28 of the air-fine 35 is open, admitting air into said flue. The valve of the gas-well 37 is open, admitting gas to the passage 14, and the valve of the gas-well 30 is closed, shutting off gas from said passage. To reverse the operation, the steam is cut off from the fuel-chamber F and let into chamber G, and the positions of the gas and of the air valves are reversed, as above stated.

The construction herein set out affords a gas-producing plant of simple construction, whereby gas may be produced slowly or rapidlyby the upward flow of air through the grates and fuel or by a steam-blast into the fuel-bed, and the fines for the air and for the steam are so placed relatively to the fuelchambers that they are,in the continuous operation of the producer, kept constantly at a temperature sufficiently high for heating the air and for the dissociation of the already- I15 superheated steam.

I claim as my invention- 1. Afuel-gas producer constructed with two separate and independent fuel containing chambers, a central outlet-flue for gas communicating with said chambers, and separate and in dependent wall-fines surrounding three of the separate and independent fuel-containing chambers, the separate and independent Wall-fines 33 34, surrounding said fuelchambers on a plane with the incandescent fuel-beds and communicating with the opposite sides of said chambers, an outlet-flue for the gas communicating with said chambers, separate and independent superheaters for steam arranged Within said gas-outlet flue and opening into the said wall-fines, the independent wall air-fines 35 35, arranged at the outer sides of the said fuel-chambers, and means for alternating the admission of the steam to the superheaters and for controlling the outlets for the gas and air into passages leading to the point of consumption, as described.

A f uel-gas producer constructed with two separate and independent fuelcontaining chambers, a central outlet-flue for gas communicating with said gas-chambers, the airflues at the outer side of each chamber, and separate and in dependent wall-fines s urrounding three sides of said chambers and communicating with the opposite sides thereof at the fuel-beds, in combination with separate and independent steam-superheating pipes arranged within said central gas-flue and opening into said wall-fines, and the simultaneously-operated valves for controlling and reversing the communication of said fines, with passages leading to the combustion-furnace, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN OODRUFF CULMER.

Witnesses:

A. E. H. JOHNSON, PHILIP F. LARNER. 

